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U.S. Traffic Fatalities Continued to Surge in First Half of 2016

Deaths rose 9%, extending a trend that began two years ago as the economy improved and travel increased

By

Beckie Strum

Updated Aug. 23, 2016 7:40 p.m. ET

Traffic fatalities rose 9% in the first six months of 2016, compared with a year earlier, as a stronger economy and falling gas prices encouraged Americans to spend more time behind the wheel, the National Safety Council said on Tuesday.

Traffic fatalities have been trending upward since 2014, when the price of gasoline plummeted and a strengthening economy spurred more travel. The average price at the pump has dropped more than a...